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WE'RE SUPPORTING

Iraqi-American artist Wafaa Bilal spent an entire month living in a Chicago art gallery where he had rigged a webcam and remote controlled paintball gun which visitors online or at the actual gallery could use to shoot at him. The piece highlighted the danger everyday Iraqi citizens face both in terms of actual violence and the vitriol generated by the controversial and geopolitically convoluted war. The experience re-triggered the post-traumatic stress disorder that Bilal had acquired in his home country. The installation as well as his life as an activist, artist, and refugee are documented in his book, Shoot An Iraqi: Art, Life and Resistance Under the Gun.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

I was never a big fan of Barbie, but I would travel to Shanghai just to visit this mind-blowing castle for Barbie dolls. Read more

WE'RE WEARING

Making feet beautiful, String Republic is the creation of graphic artist Stéphane Bucco. Read more

WE'RE THINKING

Bats Langley. What a fantastic name! With some fantastic work, as well. I would love to see his detailed paintings or drawings grace the pages of a childrens’ book.

WE'RE READING

Illustrator and artist John Malloy has been working on a graphic novel called Channel One and, without wanting to sound too much like Paris Hilton, it’s looking pretty damn hot. Update! As of July 2009, John Malloy has aborted the graphic novel Channel One to focus more on other projects, including his autobiographical graphic novel, Queasy. Stay tuned for details. Read more

I remember the first time I saw a Mark Rothko piece at the Art Institute in Chicago. I’d only seen reproductions until that point, and I never understood why people considered the late painter so important. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

French duo Trop Tard make straight-faced, Suicide-esque, synth-and-guitar electro tunes that sound like dark rituals performed in the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris. Repetitive, bleak, and cold, this is dance music for the shambling undead.